Dream World
by Pikachu-Goddess-Rishika
Summary: not yaoi, for any one who cares; a unique girl with a unique power: the power to travel to the Anime world in her dreams...
1. Autumn's Dream World

Hey, Hey!! I'm baaaaack!  
  
Me: my second ficcie! The Spirits of Darkness is still up and running so please read it! This fic however is a crossover of all the Anime I can think of. (And yet it's in the Yu-gi-oh! Section) Well this mostly concerns the Yu-gi-oh chars anyway, so, there ya go. Parts of this fic I got from a book called The Chronicles of Crestomanci. A definite read if you're a Harry Potter fan.  
  
On another note, if you read my first fic, I said that I was NOT a Yaoi fan so this, and any fic I write, will be strait parings only!  
  
I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! Except for Autumn, her family, and Mr. Keanon. Enjoy! (o^.^o)  
  
*****  
  
AUTUMN'S DREAM WORLD  
  
*****  
  
Autumn Riddle never really though her dreams were odd when growing up. She thought everyone had the same dreams as her. Every night she would get up, and leaving her sleeping body behind she would walk around her closet door, squeeze past her shelves and hanging dresses and walk toward the friendly spot of daylight until she found herself in a pleasant forest with the mid- morning's light radiating from above. She learn early on the whenever it was night in her world, it was always day in her dreams. She also found that she would be wearing whatever outfit she liked best at the time. She would then trek down to the city.  
  
The city. It was truly a dream there. So many interesting people and monsters doing so many interesting things! She was always thought to not talk to strangers, so she pretended to be mute, which worked out just fine. She would follow the children that had the monsters and the weird little devices one day, then she would watch the ones who kept there monsters in the little red and white balls. The knights and samurai where downright cool. She would watch the one samurai with the long red hair and an x-mark on his cheek while he was practicing with her mouth hanging open, and she often would run into the one group of knights that seemed very friendly and the boy about her age who would often ride on the back of a large white tiger. It truly was a dream.  
  
Of course, that's exactly what she thought it was, a dream. And even if she would appear home dirty and scraped up no one would notice. Autumn was the youngest of seven children. She had three older sisters and three older brothers. One would think that the youngest got the most attention, but Autumn always had the feeling that no matter what she did in life, no one would notice. No one ever did, she was the odd ball of the family, with her dirt brown hair and matching eyes, while her siblings all had blue eyes and blond hair. Another odd thing about her was the strange birthmark on the palm of her left hand. To the untrained eye it was just a bunch of strange dark lines scarred under her skin, but looking closely, one could see a faint outline of a cat's body, sitting on its hind quarters, with its face looking directly at you. At least that's what Autumn thought it looked like. There was something strange about the mark; it seemed to give off a strange energy of its own. Something unnatural, and magical, and just pain odd.  
  
And that's how she grew up: thinking she was an odd ball. An outcast, a misfit, at school she had no friends and was always teased. She didn't understand why she was different, she just, was. It was then she began to realize that her dreams where different.  
  
In Third Grade, she discovered why.  
  
She turned on the TV, wanting to forget about some English essay she had to do when she came to a certain channel. She nearly choked on the gum she was chewing. She had come across an episode of DragonBall Z. She recognized the characters immediately; she had seen the guy with the spiky black hair clear out an entire restaurant! She recognized the other ones too! They were all there! She later discovered Pokemon and Digimon, and many others too. Ronin Warriors, Gundam, Monster Rancher, and she learned much more on the Internet. There wasn't a series she learned about that she had seen in her dreams. She also learned what they were. Japanese Animation, Japanimetion, Anime, it had many names but it meant the same thing.  
  
When Autumn was in about 7th Grade she learned that she could take things from the Anime world and bring it to her own. She would find random little trinkets and items or on rare occasions someone would give her something and she would take it home and put it on her self. Sometimes she would steal something important, then return it where she found it the next day, just for some kicks.  
  
It started when she first came through the 'hole,' as she called it, and found a frighten baby egg monster she recognized as the one that the red head girl with the red and white monster balls, or 'Pokeballs,' as she heard them called, would carry around in her arms. She carried the little thing down to the city and found the girl sitting on a bench with the two boys she was always with bawling her eyes out. No doubt over losing her baby monster. Autumn jogged up to her and held out the baby egg-thing to her. The girl looked up and when she saw the monster she squealed and snatched the baby to her chest, hugging, crying, and squealing her heart out. As usual, Autumn didn't say anything and turned and started to go.  
  
"Hey kid! Wait up!" Autumn turned around, more startled at the fact that she called out to her than the fact that could kind of make out what she said. She could never keep up with the Japanese but she managed to pick up quite a few words.  
  
The red head followed by the two boys ran up to her.  
  
"Thank you so much for finding my Togepi! I don't know how to ever repay you!" she said gratefully.  
  
"Are you a Pokemon trainer?" the boy with the black hair and red and white hat asked. Autumn wasn't too sure what to say. She could pick out 'Pokemon' and he was pointing at her, so she figured that he was asking if she had any. She shook her head.  
  
"Here," the boy reached behind him and undid something some his belt. He pulled out a tiny red and white Pokeball, pushed the button on the front, which made it bigger and handed it to her. "You can use this empty Pokeball to start catching Pokemon!"  
  
Autumn looked at the shiny Pokeball in her hands with awe. She opened the empty Pokeball just to make sure it wasn't a trick, and then closed it again. She had never been given something so nice from this world. She looked up at the trio with a big smile.  
  
"Arigato gosaimasu!" she said happily. She turned to leave.  
  
"Hey! What's your name?" shouted the boy.  
  
Autumn stopped and thought for a moment. She wasn't to keen on telling anyone her real name so she came up with the next best thing. She turned around and called, "My name's Aki!"  
  
After that she build up a small collection of things she got from the Anime world and put them on her shelves. Only the second youngest in the family, James, noticed it as out of the ordinary.  
  
"Where did you get all this stuff?" he asked one time when he was playing Zelda in her room. (The N64 was in her room while the PSone was in his.) She lie on her bed tossing her Pokeball up and down.  
  
"What things?" she asked innocently. James reached over and caught the ball with amazing speed.  
  
"Things like this! I've seen toys like this but this looks like it was expensive, and God knows you don't have a job."  
  
"What are you taking about? That thing was like two bucks."  
  
James put his game on pause and went over to her counter. He picked up a bunch of Digimon cards she had gotten from a nice girl named Jeri. Autumn gulped, not only where they written in Japanese, but the Digimon Tamers series hadn't come out in America yet.  
  
"I've never seen a card game like this, and why is it in Japanese? There aren't any Japanese stores around here."  
  
"I got it from a friend." She growled stubbornly.  
  
James gave her a weird look. "But, you don't have any friends."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean!!" she screamed. She got up and left in a huff. She had meant that as an excuse to leave the room, everyone thought that she was uptight and sensitive any way, but deep down, his comments had stung her. She didn't really want friends, but that didn't mean she didn't try to be friendly. She was notorious at school as being very 'weird,' whatever that meant to them. When she was in elementary school, she was always given her own space: at lunch she just wandered the lunch tables, picking the stucco off the walls, lost in her own thoughts. Whenever there was a crowd, there was a ring of space between her and everyone else about two feet wide. Whenever she heard whispering and giggling as she walked down the halls she knew that she was the topic in general.  
  
She didn't even have any friends in the Anime world, but that was because she was afraid of what would happen to her if they found out. There were only a few that knew her as Aki, but that was it.  
  
Autumn wandered into the kitchen looking for a snack, a common reflex when she had nothing else to do or when she had to get something off her mind. She was 17 now, a junior in high school, and hating it. She was wearing her favorite outfit: baggy light blue jeans, a black T-shirt that had three bullet holes drawn on the front and back of her right shoulder, a yin-yang metal pendant on a black silky cord, and a light blue beanie with two curvy black lines circling around it. Over her left hand she wore a field hockey glove, something she got when she played field hockey in junior high. She never was keen on doing field hockey, but all of her sisters did it so she felt obligated to try it. She liked the look of the glove, and it covered her birthmark. She always wore her brown and blond-streaked hair in a ponytail.  
  
Her dad was in the family room watching T.V when he called out to her.  
  
"Hey Autumn, look! It's your people!"  
  
Autumn stuck her head into the next room to take a look. It was an ad for a new Anime series called Yu-Gi-Oh! Autumn felt as if her heart had stopped beating in her living body. She had seen them before, of course, but, it was, well, different. She was sitting on a wall by the sidewalk went she had seen them walking down on the opposite side. There was the little guy with the really cool looking hair and round innocent purple eyes, the blond haired dude with the street lingo, the taller brunette, the brown haired girl with blue eyes, the British boy with the wild white hair, and then there was HIM. He looked like the first little guy, but his hair had golden streaks, he was taller, and his eyes, she about fell off the wall when he turned and looked directly at her with those eyes. But what freaked her out is when a golden third eye appeared on his forehead. She could feel the eye bore itself right into her soul. The hairs on her neck bristled, goose bumps appeared on her arms, and she could feel pinpricks of sweat form on her hairline. Her fear finally got the better of her and she bolted. She took a deep breath and returned to the kitchen.  
  
Autumn wandered the kitchen for a few minutes looking for something to catch her eye. When she didn't find anything she wandered back upstairs to her room. Her brother was still there, but he didn't say anything when she re-entered her room. Eventually he turned off the game and left her room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.  
  
'Come to think of it, I haven't been there for a while.' She thought. 'I wonder how Dawn's doing.' Autumn smiled to herself. She had never tried to capture a Pokemon, but apparently she captured the heart of one. Dawn was a baby Mewtwo Autumn had found sleeping right outside the hole. Autumn fed her some of her granola bar that she had brought with her. After that the baby just started to follow Autumn wherever she went. Autumn decided to keep her and call her Dawn, for her light purple fur.  
  
Autumn hadn't been to the Anime world for about a year. She just didn't have enough time. She knew that Dawn could take care of herself, but she couldn't help but worry. Dawn was only a baby after all.  
  
Autumn looked out at the darkening sky. 'Maybe I should just visit-'  
  
*****  
  
Me: well that's it for the first chapter. I'm sorry it's slow, but it'll pick up in the next chapter, I promise.  
  
Jamata! 


	2. Return to the Anime World

Okay, the first chapter was crap, but at least I got a lot of reviews! More than what I got on my first chapter of The Spirits of Darkness. (o-.- o)  
  
Sandy: well, if you don't like it maybe you should make a fic with us in it!  
  
Me: ummm- I'll think about it. Any way, on with the ficcie! (o^.^o)  
  
I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! Except for Autumn, her family, and Mr. Keanon.  
  
*****  
  
RETURN TO THE ANIME WORLD  
  
*****  
  
Autumn showered, brushed her teeth, put on her PJ's, and climbed into bed. She tried to visit the anime world a few times, but she changed her mind at the last second. She just wasn't in the mood. She had spent much of her time looking up Yu-Gi-Oh on the Internet and found out a lot about the plot and characters before the show was even aired. When she tuned into the first few episodes she was amazed on how much they dubbed out of it. They might as well drug it out into the street and shot it!  
  
Autumn growled to herself. 'Stupid Dubbers'  
  
A sudden thought occurred to her: she had a deck of her own, what if she brought it to the anime world? Could she summon them to life? Her deck was pretty good in her opinion, she had gone out and bought her own Kaiba Starter Deck with her own money, which was a big deal because she didn't have a job or allowance, so she could have a Blue Eyes, but her birthday happened to be two weeks later and her brother Tyler bought her a second Kaiba Deck. She didn't mind though, now she had two Blue Eyes White Dragons, as well as a bunch of other good cards she felt attached to. She valued her deck so much that she marked every one of her cards with a small yin-yang.  
  
Autumn rose from her bed. She had an itch, an inner instinct called her; she couldn't take it any more. She grabbed her deck from her desk and proceeded to her closet. She felt her way to the back of the closet until she could see the spot of light. She began to run to it, her excitement rising. She broke through the hole and came upon the early morning forest. She breathed in and exhaled with satisfaction.  
  
She looked at her hand, sure enough; it was drawn in anime style. She didn't need a mirror to see what she looked like; she was wearing her favorite outfit, the one with the jeans and black shirt with the bullet holes on it. She also had her necklace, beanie, glove, MP3 player, and dueling deck. Underneath her shirt and pants she was wearing bright green board shorts and a matching blue spaghetti strap swim top with leafy green designs. The green streaks in her brown eyes were more noticeable now, and her long golden sun-bleached bangs framed her face while the rest of her dirt brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The way her bangs were drawn reminded Autumn of Sue Koalla from Love Hina. She carefully placed her hair into her beanie and pulled it down by her ears. She was no longer Autumn Riddle. No, now she was Aki.  
  
Now, she had to find Dawn. She put her thumb and finger in her mouth and whistled as loud as she could. The long shrill whistle echoed through the forest. Several birds stopped singing. Aki waited in silence. Nothing. Aki shouldn't have been surprised, it has been over a year, but she couldn't help but worry. What if she thought that she was abandoned and left? What if someone captured her? Aki giggled to herself. Dawn would never let anyone capture her. She had never been in a Pokeball before, and she wasn't going to start now.  
  
Aki let out another loud whistle and waited. When nothing happened, she started down to the city. The path was impossible to make out, but she knew it by instinct. About halfway down she stopped in a vacant field and decided to try her deck out. She pulled it from her pocket and looked through it until she found her two Blue Eyes and pulled them from the deck.  
  
'Umm, okay, now what?'  
  
She tried to think of a website that might have told her how they summoned monsters on the TV show, but couldn't, and lord knows that she wouldn't know in the dubbed version for about a year.  
  
'Alright, maybe this'll do it'  
  
Aki held up her two Blue Eyes with her right hand.  
  
"I summon Blue Eyes White Dragon!"  
  
Nothing.  
  
'Crap. So much for that idea'  
  
She held her two Blue Eyes in her hands with a defeated look. She sighed. The screeching of some birds flying from their perches caught her attention. She turned to the direction of the disturbance just in time to see a light purple and violet blur streak toward her and slam her to the ground.  
  
Aki! Aki! It's really you!  
  
"Dawn?" Aki looked down to see a baby female Mewtwo, only about two and a half feet tall, sitting on her lap happily wagging her tail.  
  
Where have you been? I've missed you so much! Dawn spoke out loud with her mind. Although her mouth didn't move, she still spoke with a human like voice. Aki gave Dawn a big hug.  
  
"I'm so sorry Dawn! I've totally abandoned you! Are you OK?" Aki rocked back and forth, still holding Dawn.  
  
It's ok Aki. I was fine by myself. So what are you doing anyway?  
  
"Check it out," Aki held out her Yu-Gi-Oh cards for her to see.  
  
Oh! You're summoning Duel Monsters! Or, at least you're trying to. I've seen them do it down in the City.  
  
"You were watching them?"  
  
Yeah, I've been watching everybody so I could keep you filled in when you came back, Dawn thought for a moment. Of course, nothing ever really changes around here dose it?  
  
"I guess not. So how did they summon?"  
  
Dawn shrugged. The same way as you. I don't see what you're doing wrong.  
  
"Hmmm," Aki thought aloud. "Maybe I should try again-"  
  
Why not?  
  
"Alright," this time Aki tried something different: she tried concentrating on the two Dragons in her hands.  
  
She held up the two cards in her left hand and called out in a loud voice,  
  
"I summon Blue Eyes White Dragon!"  
  
A blinding flash lit up the area. Aki and Dawn covered their eyes. Aki could feel the power surging from the two cards and eventually fade away. She heard the familiar roars that she knew so well. As the light died down, Aki found herself face to face with two massive, and very real Blue Eyes White Dragons.  
  
Dawn gulped visibly. Aki could feel herself trembling, not from fear, but from excitement. One of the Dragons threw its head back with a deafening roar. Dawn yipped and dove behind Aki. The other Dragon stood its ground and watched Aki with interest. The roaring Dragon then took a step forward, still growling. Then suddenly, the calmer Dragon lowered its head to get a closer look and the small girl before it. It sniffed once, then twice, then a third time, as if to make sure. It then lowered its body on all fours so its head could be at ground level. Although its head alone was larger then Aki, it was a clear sign of peace. It started to make a sound similar to purring. The aggressive Dragon noticed what the first did and did the same. It sniffed then lay down next to the other Blue Eyes and started purring. Aki slowly walked toward the Dragons, never taking her eyes of them. She slowly reached out and began softly stroking the smooth, hard armor-like skin on the nose of the closest Dragon.  
  
"Cool-" she breathed.  
  
She began to pet both of the Dragons while speaking to them in a soft voice.  
  
"Amazing. You knew I was your owner just by my smell. For a while there I thought I was toast. Hey, your skin color has a little more bluish tint," she said patting the initially aggressive one on the eye ridge. "That'll help me tell the difference. You know what I should do? I should give you nicknames so I won't get you mixed up. I know! I'll call you Sky because of your color and I'll call you Star." She said giving the more passive one a good pat on the nose. "Sound good?"  
  
Aki found a spot of softer skin underneath the Dragons head scales and began to scratch. The Dragons found this very enjoyable. So much so that Star tried to return the favor and gently swiped at Aki's arm with an enormous tongue.  
  
"Hey! Cut it out!" she giggled. Then she noticed something unusual. On the forehead of both Dragons there was a mark almost invisible from a distance. It looked like a yin yang was engraved in the armored skin. Just like the ones she drew on all her cards.  
  
Well, now that we know that THAT little experiment worked how about going down to the city now? asked Dawn.  
  
"Alright, fine," she turned to the Blue Eyes White Dragons. "Can you two take care of yourselves while I'm away? You can do whatever you want until I get back, but I'm going home at sunset so be back here by then, OK?"  
  
The two Blue Eyes White Dragons roared and took to the air in less than a heartbeat. Aki turned to Dawn.  
  
"Alrighty! Shall we go?"  
  
*****  
  
All the way down to the City, Aki released monster after monster, giving each a name and telling them to go do what they want until sun down.  
  
Are you sure that's smart? asked Dawn as she levitated behind Aki's shoulder.  
  
"Probably not, but I'm feeling nice."  
  
Dawn was right on when she said that nothing ever changed in the City. It was just as Aki remembered it. She told Dawn to back off a little so she wouldn't attract too much attention. Filled with excitement, Aki jogged to the heart of the City. She roamed the streets, seeing what she could see. The City was split into many, many sections. On one end there was an older, more ancient feel to it, then there was the modern suburbs and down town, then the fast and futuristic. Some places were divided buy how magical it was. The older places had temples and wizards and other spell casters, while the more modern part had a mix, and the future had very little.  
  
Aki wandered down a down town street in the more modern part of the City. It was unbelievably big, the City, and just visiting one part of it would take up a whole night, or day, whatever you'd want to call it. She passed by some stores, looked at the merchandise, and wish she had extra money. She wasn't really paying attention where she was going when dark, spiky haired kid ran full on into her. She fell over backwards, as did the kid.  
  
"-owww- Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you." Said the little kid. Aki sat up and saw none other than Mokuba Kaiba sitting across from her, rubbing his backside.  
  
"Oh that's OK," said Aki standing up. She held out her hand to help him up. "You Mokuba, right? Your Seto's little brother."  
  
"Yeah," he answered, accepting her hand. He could tell she was a girl by her voice, but the beanie looked a bit odd. "What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Aki."  
  
"Hi Aki. Sorry again."  
  
"It's OK. It's not everyday that you meet the little brother of one of the best duelist in the world," Aki stooped slightly with her hands on her knees and put on a sugary smile. "Say, the kid brother of the champ must know a lot about dueling strategies. Care to walk and talk?"  
  
"Ummm, OK?" said Mokuba, a little unsure.  
  
Aki offered to buy ice cream, using up what little money she had. The two walked the streets, ice cream bars in hand, chatting about Duel Monsters.  
  
"So your saying that your brother is one of the top duelist in the world, yet you don't even have your own deck? With connections like that you could easily get some of the best cards in the whole game."  
  
"Yeah, I like to watch my brother duel all the time, but I don't think I'll ever get to be as good as he is. Do you have a deck?"  
  
"Not with me no," said Aki nervously. "But I could bring it sometime." Aki sighed. "I wish I could watch some of the pros duel."  
  
"I know!" said Mokuba excitedly. "Let's go to Kaiba Land! Yugi Motoh and other top duelists battle each other for fun all day! It their idea of a perfect day."  
  
"Kaiba Land? Really?"  
  
"Yeah! Let's go!"  
  
Mokuba took Aki by the hand and lead her down twisting streets at a fast pace.  
  
"C'mon, hiyaku!"  
  
"Alright! Alright!"  
  
The building broke to reveal a large gated building with a massive statue of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.  
  
*My Blue Eyes are much bigger.* Aki thought with a sneer.  
  
"This way!"  
  
Mokuba led her to a smaller outdoor arena where a duel was already taking place.  
  
"Hey cool! What did I tell you! That's Yugi Motoh, and that's Jounochi Katsuya. They're both really good duelist. It's a good thing we didn't miss it."  
  
Aki was surprised. She had seen parts of the cast around before, but this was obviously a major meeting place or something. She could see all of the characters: Anzu, Honda, Ryou and his Yami, Mai, Otogi, Isis, Malik and his Yami, even some other characters like Ryuuzaki and Haga, and dueling on the arena was none other than Jounochi and Yugi, at least the little Yugi. He hadn't become Yami Yugi. Aki wondered where Yami was.  
  
*Dawn? Dawn, can you hear me?*  
  
Huh? Yeah, what?  
  
*Do you know where Yami is?  
  
Him? Uh, lez'see, uhhhh- I think he's in the Puzzle.  
  
*Thanks Dawn.*  
  
Anytime. Hey, did you know that Renamon can't swim?  
  
*I'll keep that in mind, thanks.*  
  
"I play Curse of Dragon in defense mode, and I lay one card face down! Your move, Jou!"  
  
"Alright then. I play Red Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode! Red Eyes Attack!"  
  
"I activate my trap card! Spell Binding Circle!" The glowing ring appeared around Jou's Red Eyes, leaving him helpless. "And I switch my Curse of Dragon to attack mode and I attack your Red Eyes!"  
  
*What I would give to duel like that-*  
  
You shouldn't have released all your monsters, then you would've had a deck to play with.  
  
*Yeah right, like I could ever beat them.*  
  
Well, you'll never know until you try-  
  
Aki watched the duel go on for about fifteen minutes, all the while feeling more and more depressed. Finally, she slipped away from the crowd and quickly made her way out of Kaiba Land. She had never felt so lonely as she felt right then. She couldn't explain it, the only place she should've felt happiest, and suddenly she felt like a total stranger. She needed to get away.  
  
She found herself walking toward a secluded Shinto Shrine and the outskirts of the City. She had been to this place several times before when she was younger. Tenchi's Grandpa ran it. He was very nice and always offered her tea when she visited. They would often talk for quite some time. She couldn't exactly remember the last time when she went there.  
  
She could almost feel beads of sweat begin to form on her forehead as she trudged up the endless stairs.  
  
*Geez, this is worst than the stairs in front of my high school.*  
  
She was panting by the time she got up to the top. She looked around the shrine for any sign of life. Dawn appeared beside her.  
  
*Guess no one's here.*  
  
Aki suddenly felt uncomfortable and decided to leave.  
  
"Well hello there!"  
  
Aki jumped and looked around. There was the gray-haired old man who ran the shrine standing in the doorway waving at her.  
  
"Haven't seen you in a while," he said kindly. "Come on in. I just put the teapot on. And bring your little friend too."  
  
Aki and Dawn sat patiently as Grandpa Mazaki poured some tea into three cups.  
  
"Thank you," Aki said taking a sip. "At first I didn't think you would recognize me."  
  
"Oh? And why is that."  
  
Aki wasn't to sure how to put this into words. No one ever grew old in the Anime world, and she had been coming to the Anime world ever since she was little. Even so, Grandpa Mazaki was the only person she could really be honest with. She had the feeling that he probably knew more than she gave him credit for.  
  
"Well," she began. "I was a little kid last time I was here."  
  
"True. You are very wise to be cautious," He knelt on the other side of the table. "Getting old is something that doesn't really happen around here, thank goodness in my case."  
  
Aki began to feel a little bit better. "I'm just glad that you don't care."  
  
"Oh, I care," he said nodding. "It is rather odd, to say the least, I've noticed something strange about you ever since you where little, but I'm sure there's a reason. There always is. You've powers you yourself haven't realized."  
  
"Powers?" she snorted. "I'm just some random girl with wild dreams."  
  
"Let me ask you something. If one of the DigiDestined were to try to summon a Duel Monster, would it work? Could a Pokemon Trainer also be a Zoid pilot? Or how about a Gundam pilot?" Aki thought for a moment. She had never heard of such a thing. Grandpa Mazaki continued. "The answer is no. They wouldn't have the skill or magic needed, but you can somehow summon Duel Monsters, and yet you are a trainer to a Pokemon. A rare one I might add."  
  
Dawn wagged her tail happily at the compliment.  
  
"Wait, how do you know about my Duel Monsters? Oh, wait. One of them didn't come down here did they? What did they do?" she asked worried.  
  
"Just one," he replied. "A little brown creature that was digging around in my garden. It looked like a shaggy little dog. I could tell it was yours by the little black yin-yang on its head. It matches your necklace."  
  
"Dax, my Milus Radient. I'm really sorry."  
  
"Oh it's fine. He didn't do any real damage, and if you're finished there's something I want to show you."  
  
Aki gave him a surprised look and stood up. Dawn chugged the rest of her drink and floated up behind her. Grandpa Mazaki began leaded them out of the general area of the shrine and up some secluded mountain trail. Aki followed silently, wondering what the old man wanted to show her. After a while he stopped walking and pointed father up the trail.  
  
"Follow this trail until you get to small cave. Some bushes cover it so look carefully. It's what's inside of the cave that I want you to see. I found them earlier today. Take good care of them." With that the old man stated walking back to the shrine. He waved over his shoulder. "It was nice talking to you. Come again sometime."  
  
Perplexed and confused, Aki continued up the trail, keeping an eye out for a cave. Dawn found it before Aki and lead her to it. The cave was small and musty. Aki pushed the bushes aside and ducked inside. It was pitch black and Aki had to feel her way toward the back. The cave was actually a long tunnel that led deep down into the mountain. Aki felt her way until she could see a soft glow at the end. The cave opened up to a small cavern, it seemed almost like some kind of den. She then noticed the source of the strange glow.  
  
Eggs!  
  
"Eggs?"  
  
Sure enough, a clutch of mismatched eggs were scattered across the floor, each different from each other, some were the size of beach balls and one was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, each had a different color or designs, and all were giving off there own glow. Aki counted ten eggs altogether.  
  
"'Take good care of them.' So that's what he meant. Easier said than done. I wonder what kind of eggs they are."  
  
They're Pokemon eggs.  
  
Aki looked at Dawn. "Seriously? Are you sure?"  
  
Yep. And odd ones at that."  
  
Aki decided not to ask what that meant. "Can you carry them back to the Hole?"  
  
No prob. Immediately, the clutch of eggs levitated into the air. Let's go!  
  
Dawn flew out of the cave with the eggs floating right behind her. Aki followed closely, the way out illuminated by the eggs. The area they were in wasn't too far from the Hole, but it was quite a hike. Dawn tried to wait for her, but she got impatient.  
  
Oh, geez. Here, this'll be easier. She floated down and held Aki lightly by the arm. In a flash, Dawn teleported them to the Hole.  
  
There, much better.  
  
"Thanks Dawn. Well, now what?"  
  
All eggs need a nest.  
  
"Right. Good idea."  
  
The two built a makeshift nest with soft grass and moss and laid the eggs in it. Aki then covered them with leaves. She looked at her work, satisfied, when a roar sounded from a distance.  
  
"Uh-oh."  
  
Big uh-oh.  
  
Aki ran full speed to the meadow where she released the two Blue Eyes. There she found Sky and Star, as well as most of her Monsters, all mingling with each other, as if getting to know one another. She smiled and crossed the field to her Monsters.  
  
"So none of you got into any trouble today, I hope?" she said smiling.  
  
One of the heads of her Flame Cerberus, Tri, nuzzled her arm. Aki scratched the top of its head and behind the ears in return.  
  
"Alright then, everyone return."  
  
All the Monsters returned to their card forms in a flash of light. She pocketed the cards and headed back to the Hole. She gave Dawn a pat on the head.  
  
"Later Dawn. Stay out of trouble."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Aki entered the Hole, and back to reality-  
  
*****  
  
Autumn's mom was having a dinner party and needed something crucial that wasn't in their pantries, so it's off with the youngest on her bike to the store, which was just up a monstrous hill. Autumn bought what her mother needed, as well as some extra candies that she would never find out about and headed back home. On her way home she passed by a small park. It was almost invisible while driving by; it was a perfect little haven. Autumn stopped her bike and slowly made her way to the swings. She loved to swing. She could swing for hours if someone didn't stop her.  
  
She had a little time, why not? She swung for some time, enjoying the feel. When she came to a stop she sat for a few more moments. She pulled out the Pokeball she got from the Anime world and pressed the button on the front, making it bigger. She stared at it long and hard. She thought about what Grandpa Mazaki had said. What did he mean? Was there something really special about her?  
  
"What'cha got their cutie?"  
  
Autumn jumped and spun to face the voice. Some punk with baggy pants and shirt and earrings on his ears and nose stood grinning at her with a bunch of lackeys behind him.  
  
"Now what's a girl like you doin' all alone?" he advanced on her.  
  
"Get away from me!" she spat.  
  
"Why should I?" he made as if to grab her when she kicked him in the shin.  
  
"Dammit bitch!" he pulled out a pocketknife and lunged at her. Autumn dodged and ran for her life, leaving her bike and groceries forgotten.  
  
She ran not knowing where she was going. She ran down block and street, not paying any attention. She could still hear them behind her. Then it seemed like her luck ran out. She ran right into a tall metal fence surrounding an enormous estate. She turned to face her attackers. She could almost see her life pass before her eyes-  
  
"Hey! Get off my property!"  
  
Autumn turned to the voice, as did the gang. An old man, his hair graying, clutching a thick black cane, and wearing sunglasses, slowly made his way toward them.  
  
"And what's a old geezer gunna' d-"  
  
The old man swung his cane without warning and nailed the leader on the side of the head, knocking him to the ground. The others took off, abandoning their leader. The old man placed the cane on the boy's chest, pinning him down.  
  
"I could have you arrested for assault with a deadly weapon." He then let the boy go. "If I catch you again I will call the police. Beat it."  
  
The terrified boy ran off. The old man then turned to Autumn.  
  
"All is well I hope?" he smiled kindly. He then noticed the object in Autumn's hand. "What's that you got there? A Pokeball is it?" He looked over his sunglasses at Autumn with pale blue eyes. "It looks a little, 'authentic,' to me. Did you buy it or did a Pokemon trainer give it to you?"  
  
The hairs on Autumn's neck prickled.  
  
"Don't look so surprised," continued the old man. "I know more than you think."  
  
"E-excuse me, but, who are you?" asked Autumn nervously.  
  
"You may call me Mr. Keanon. Shall we talk business, say, tomorrow when your school gets out? Would that be a problem?" He pulled out a small business card and handed it to Autumn.  
  
"Uhhh, no, that isn't problem. What kind of business?"  
  
"It's kind of a delivery business, but you'll find out much more tomorrow. What do you say Miss umm-?"  
  
"Autumn. Autumn Riddle."  
  
"See you tomorrow then Autumn."  
  
With that Mr. Keanon turned and walked toward the front of his gate and back to his house.  
  
*****  
  
That night Aki returned to the Anime world. She probably wouldn't have if it weren't for the clutch of eggs she was now in charge of. She was immediately tackled by Dawn.  
  
Aki! Aki! They're hatching!  
  
*****  
  
Ooooo- cliffy.  
  
Thanx for the reviews and stay tuned folks! 


	3. Responsibility

Me: hello again my loyal fans!  
  
Sandy: uh-oh,  
  
Me: I'm so happy with all the reviews!  
  
Sandy: *sweats* aw crap, (o0.0o)  
  
Me: Steeple333 said my story is like a novel! Thank you soooo much! (o^^o)  
  
Sandy: (o.o) here it comes!!!  
  
Me: maybe I should become a full time author-  
  
Sandy: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  
  
Me: *nails Sandy over the head with a chair* much better  
  
Sandy: (ox.xo)  
  
Me: so, yeah. I got so many great reviews! Thanxs a bunch! My beginning rant is going to be a little long this time so bear with me. Here are my responses to the reviews-  
  
I already said that Steeple333 said that my story is like a novel and that is very flattering to me!  
  
An anonymous review I got was very interesting. This person wrote about how he or she would have Anime dreams that where very real. He or she mentioned a boy her or she called "Nemo," but they couldn't remember the real name. Very cool. Maybe I'll add this char in later in this story. IF THIS REVIEWER IS READING THIS PLEASE REVIEW AGAIN OR E-MAIL ME! PLEASE TELL ME YOUR NAME! I take dreams VERY seriously. In fact I think I'm gunna go on a rant-  
  
For anyone who has read my first fic "The Spirits of Darkness," (Yes I'm still working on it, it's just that I'm completely doing it over.) you probably would have noticed that I'm a Pikachu fan. I always have been and always will be. The idea that something so small and wimpy looking could electrocute anyone and anything is pretty nar in my opinion. ANYWAY, a few years back a friend tells me of a new video game coming out on the N64 that lets you pit one Nintendo char against another, and most importantly, Pikachu was in it. It was called Super Smash Bros. and I knew I had to get it. A few days before it came out I had a very odd dream. I dreamed that I had the game and I was playing it, but it felt like I was actually IN the game as Pikachu, and I was fighting Fox and DK. I remembered Fox, DK, and even the audience all laughing at me cuz of my size. I was getting my butt kicked and I was totally lost on the controls. The weird thing was is when I would look down at my hands I would see my own hands holding the controller, but I was literally in the game. I finally lost it and fried everything around me, including my opponents, and I won the fight. All I remember at the end was that the audience was completely silent. So, yeah, I take dreams very seriously.  
  
Jean reviewed twice on each chapter. Thanks for sticking with me so far buddy!  
  
I enjoyed reading Kin-Chan Pandun's review. I think I even laughed out loud!  
  
To Gyakutenno Megami: be nice to my char! LOL! It's ok, I'm kinda jealous too- and gomen nasai IS how you say sorry in Japanese, if you wanted to know.  
  
BookDragon was one of my first reviewers, and hopefully not the last. I like your reviews! Short and sweet! Just like me! (o^.^o)  
  
Sandy: let's get this show on the road!  
  
Me: Hai! Ikimasho!  
  
*****  
  
RESPONSIBILITY  
  
*****  
  
"Oh my COW! They are hatching!"  
  
Duh. That's what I've been telling you.  
  
Aki watched in awe as thin cracks formed on the shells of the glowing eggs. The little fractures started at the top and slowly criss-crossed their way down. The largest egg- a white one with dark blue splotches- violently jerked and fell to its side. The surface of one side of the egg suddenly exploded, causing Aki and Dawn to jump back. A single white foot was visible through the shell. The side of the shell then cracked open. A long feathery arm draped over the bits of shells. Aki creped a little closer. A white bird like head with two dark blue stripes attached to an unsteady long white neck swiveled out of its former eggshell. Aki recognized the little creature immediately.  
  
"No, friggin, way-"  
  
A Lugia? How the heck did a Lugia egg end up around here?  
  
A clear slime covered the baby Lugia, making it so it couldn't open its eyes or breathe through its nostrils. To clear its airway and catch its breath the baby began squealing loudly.  
  
"Aw, man. To care for all these babies I'm gonna need a lot of warm water and a large stack of towels, stat!"  
  
Aye, aye, marm! Dawn mock saluted and disappeared.  
  
"Dawn, wait!" Aki called, but it was already too late.  
  
Aki then turned her attention to the baby Lugia's cries.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm right here with you. Everything will be just fine, don't worry." She spoke to the distressed baby softly. She took its head gently in her hands and did the best to clear out its eyes. She then gently pulled the large baby out of its shell, propping its body on its wobbly haunches. She cleared out the excess shell as best she could without taking her hand off the unstable baby. She then took some dried moss and tried to clean off its eyes and nostrils as best she could. She gently scraped the birth fluid off of the nostrils and the baby was able to breathe normally. She then noticed that the baby had quieted down. She looked up and found herself staring into a pair of shimmering dark irises. The baby Lugia stared at the odd being before him. He made a squeaking sound and tilted its head slightly. Aki smiled and gently patted its neck.  
  
I'm baaaack! Did I miss anything?  
  
"Well, so fa- HOLY-!"  
  
Dawn somehow transported three large cauldrons of hot water and an enormous stack of towels.  
  
"What'n-? How-? Where did you find this?!" Aki stuttered.  
  
Hotels are a good source for everything, and they never really notice.  
  
Aki decided to drop it and cleaned the baby Lugia with a towel dipped in warm water and dried it with another towel. Aki made a bed with some moss and a bunch of towels and the Lugia promptly lay down and fell asleep.  
  
"I should give him a name," said Aki.  
  
Don't give him a wimpy name.  
  
Aki thought of a good name for a Lugia. Something that protects, a guardian of the balance of the world.  
  
"I know! I'll call him Hogosha, Japanese for guardian."  
  
The other eggs began hatching like clockwork.  
  
A small blue egg hatched into Sparkle, the female Articuno.  
  
Shomei, a female Zapdos, hatched next. (Aki began to notice a pattern with the babies.)  
  
Ikari the male Entei came next-  
  
Shortly followed by a female Suicune, Kagayaki.  
  
A male Moltres Aki called Scorch hatched out of a small flame colored egg.  
  
A rather large bird pokemon Aki recognize as a Ho-Oh hatched next. Aki called him Niji.  
  
Ranbo, a baby Raico, wasted no time in ripping through his shell.  
  
And finally, a tiny female Mew hatched from a shell no bigger than a softball. Aki decided to call her Yurei.  
  
All nine of the little babies curled up together and fell into a deep sleep. Aki rested against a tree, panting.  
  
"Whoo-hoo, what a day, and it isn't even noon yet."  
  
Hey, Aki?  
  
"Hm?"  
  
What made you decide to call me Dawn?  
  
"What? You don't like it? You think it's wimpy?"  
  
No. Just curious.  
  
"Well, I thought it was a good name for your color, and my Mom said that if I ever have kids of my own I should call one of the girls Dawn. She always liked that name."  
  
Mm-  
  
They were silent for a while. Aki began to wonder how she would be able to care for all of the babies. Even with Dawn's help it still wouldn't be easy.  
  
*Damn*  
  
You know Aki, we should make some kind of shelter, you know, for protection and for convenience.  
  
Aki sat up. "That's not a bad idea Dawn."  
  
So Dawn and Aki began to design and build a small hut. Flimsy at first, the hut began to show shape, and eventually it held up with some tight supports. The inside was swept out and padded down with moss and dried grass. The only furniture were two large rocks: one smaller one that was good for a chair, and another one that was longer and flat. Here the towels were laid out and the rock was made into a bed for the napping babies.  
  
Buy the time the hut was finished it was all ready sunset. Aki said good- bye to Dawn and returned to the real world.  
  
*****  
  
*Well that was dull* Autumn thought as she left her school to walk home. *I hate school*  
  
Her thoughts kept turning to the little legendary Pokemon in the Anime world that was now in her charge. How was she to take care of them? They would most likely be hungry when she got there. What the hell was she going to do?!  
  
She was still growling to herself when she passed the park. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the limo parked by the curb.  
  
"Miss Riddle, I presume?"  
  
Aututmn jumped. She looked and saw a short balding man smiling at her.  
  
"It is Autumn, right? Mr. Keanon described you to me. He said that you had an engagement with him and some of his customers and he wasn't to sure if you knew the way to his house." He looked at his watch. "Oh, well, it looks like we've better be off." He opened one of the doors for her. "Please make yourself comfortable."  
  
*You've GOT to be kidding me*  
  
"You DO remember the engagement, don't you?"  
  
"Umm, yeah sure." Not knowing what else to do she stepped into the limo. The balding man closed the door behind her. She found herself in the lap of luxury in the fancy limousine. The man entered the driver's seat and buckled the seatbelt. He turned his head back slightly.  
  
"By the way, call me Marcus."  
  
"Sure Marcus."  
  
Marcus chuckled and put the car into gear and started off.  
  
*****  
  
The limo pulled up into a long driveway that lead up to the large manor. Autumn admired the sprawling lawns as the car pulled up to the front of the house. Autumn stepped out of the car and swung the two straps of her backpack onto her right shoulder. She whistled as she looked up the front steps.  
  
"I take it that you're impressed," smiled Marcus. "Please follow me."  
  
The house was so big that Autumn gave up trying to track were she was going. Marcus finally led her into a large room that only contained a large desk at the back and a few chairs. The desk had a large swivel chair that was occupied by Mr. Keanon himself. Sitting in front of the desk was a stranger to her.  
  
Mr. Keanon stood up when she entered the room.  
  
"And here is the little Time and Space Wanderer herself! Good to see you Autumn!"  
  
The other man turned around and examined the scruffy high-school girl with blue jeans and a baggy red sweatshirt. He didn't seem impressed.  
  
"Don't be shy," Mr. Keanon coaxed. "Come and stand right here." He gestured to the spot on his left by the desk. Autumn did so and gently dropped her bag at her feet.  
  
"Did you bring the Pokeball?" Mr. Keanon asked.  
  
"Huh-? Oh, yeah. Here it is." She handed him the mini Pokeball.  
  
Mr. Keanon placed the Pokeball carefully on his desk and pressed the small button on the front. The Pokeball expanded to its original size. The other man's eyes grew wide.  
  
"Amazing!" he said.  
  
Mr. Keanon pushed the ball toward him. "Feel free to examine it."  
  
The other man opened the Pokeball and began to inspect it with a magnifying glass.  
  
"I had my doubts at first," he said with excitement in his voice. "But this is surely an original Pokeball! There is no denying this technology! I have to admit, Mr. Keanon, your intuition was right."  
  
"I do have a good eye for this kind of thing."  
  
Now Autumn was confused. How did these old geezers know anything about Pokemon?  
  
The man placed a briefcase onto the desk.  
  
"Well, I'm convinced. I want to buy this item. Here is the payment we agreed on."  
  
"And I trust that it is the right payment. Autumn? Is it alright with you?"  
  
Autumn was slightly startled. "Huh-!? Oh, of course!" she said quickly, not wanting to get herself into anything. Besides, she could always get another one.  
  
"Very good. We have a deal then."  
  
The two men shook hands and man took the Pokeball out with him. Autumn watched him go. She then turned back to Mr. Keanon and found him counting the enormous amount of money in the briefcase. Mr. Keanon looked up to find Autumn staring wide-eyed at the money.  
  
"Well then, that went well, don't you think?" he asked.  
  
Autumn just nodded. Mr. Keanon closed the briefcase.  
  
"Now here's the million dollar question," Autumn paid close attention. "Can you get more of these Japanimation items?"  
  
Autumn's answer was a horse whisper.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Then I have a job proposition for you-"  
  
"Who are you!?" Autumn said suddenly. "How do you know that the Anime world exists? And how many other people know?"  
  
"Calm down, calm down. Take a seat." He motioned to the chair that the other man was sitting in. She sat down.  
  
"Tell me, do you believe in the paranormal?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"The paranormal. You know, ghost and spirits. Are you interested in that sort of thing?"  
  
"Well, actually, I'm very interested, to tell you the truth." Autumn thought about all the books she had in her room about "real" ghost stories.  
  
"Many mediums believe that a strong surge of emotion could sometimes create a rift the Space-Time continuum. I was always interested in finding some other realm connected to our own. So I tried to find something that would cause an upwelling of great emotion in a short period of time, and recently, I think I've found it."  
  
"Anime?"  
  
"Exactly. In the scheme of things it is rather recent and it's a global phenomenon. Children all around the world watch Anime or read Manga, and the mind of a youngster is more powerful and pure than an adult's."  
  
Autumn let it all sink in. So there was a reason.  
  
"And it doesn't stop there. There are probably many worlds out there, but why you can travel to only one and how is still a mystery to all of us, I'm afraid."  
  
"So then, what do you want with me?"  
  
Mr. Keanon picked up the briefcase and proceeded to his left toward a separate room.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
Autumn got up and followed him. The door of the room was heavily locked. He pulled out a key that was attached to a watch chain from his coat pocket and unlocked the door. Inside the room was a walk in safe where Mr. Keanon kept his money. He placed the briefcase on a shelf and began removing money from it.  
  
"I want you to be a carrier between and Real world and the Anime world," he said bluntly. "Do you have any more items at home?"  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
"Good. Keep a tally of items you don't mind selling. There are many collectors out there who know of my work and are willing to pay great amounts for items that are not of this world."  
  
"So, you want me to give you stuff I get from the Anime world but don't want."  
  
"Sort of. My clients often tell me what they want. Here-" he gave her a cell phone. "It's top of the line, but that's besides the point. Keep this with you. I'll call if I want anything specific. Other than that, do and get whatever you want."  
  
"Great. One problem. Everything there still cost money, and I don't see what's in it for me."  
  
Mr. Keanon placed half of the money from the briefcase in a plastic container and snapped it shut. He handed it to her.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Here. It's yours. We have a deal then, and the profits are split 50/50."  
  
"SERIOUSLY?! I mean, I uhh-"  
  
"If anyone asks about your new job, tell them that you're my new assistant and delivery girl. Sound good?"  
  
"You kidding? Sounds great!"  
  
*****  
  
*Applesauce! Perfect!*  
  
Autumn made a quick stop at the store to pick up some necessities for her next trip to the Anime world. So far she bought an assortment of baby foods, bottles, vitamin D whole milk, paper bowls, (so her mother wouldn't notice nine dirty bowls in the sink the next morning) and of course, applesauce.  
  
*After all, what baby doesn't like applesauce? Well, my nephew Andy doesn't-*  
  
She must of looked odd with her purchases, but she was too excited to care. She paid the cashier and hauled her baby care items home. When she got there she hid the milk in the back of the fridge and put the rest of the things as well as two beach towels and the money in a duffle bag.  
  
She couldn't wait for tonight.  
  
*****  
  
That night came quicker than expected. She snuck the milk into her room and hefted the bag onto her shoulders.  
  
When she got there she found that the hut seemed a bit bigger.  
  
*Dawn must've been working on it*  
  
"HEY, DAAAAWN! WHERE ARE YOOOOU!" Aki called.  
  
Right here!  
  
Aki suddenly found herself face to face with an up-side-down Dawn.  
  
"WOAH! Don't do that!"  
  
Sorry. Hey guys! Mom's here!  
  
Aki sweatdropped.  
  
Several small bodies pranced and waddled through the brush toward her. They jumped up on her and yipped, squeaked, and gurgled for attention. She knelt down and petted and scratched her newborns. She spread out her beach towels and bowls and opened the many jars of baby food. She poured the milk into the many bottles and gave them to the babies. Ranbo caught on right away about the bottle and sat up on his hunches holding the bottle with his little claws. Hogosha tried to copy him but had a hard time trying to hold the bottle. Aki had to place the bottle carefully between his wings so he could hold it. Yurei had a problem with the bottle's size, so she settled with drinking it from a bowl.  
  
"Hey Dawn, watch the kids for me. I'm going into the City."  
  
'K.  
  
Aki was sure the babies would be fine, besides, last time she didn't get to go down to the city, and now she had cash to spend.  
  
*****  
  
"Hey, Seto?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Did you notice a girl in a black shirt and beanie the other day at Kaiba Land?"  
  
Seto Kaiba sat typing on his computer in his den while Mokuba was lying on the couch with his legs over the armrest, reading a book. Mokuba had lost track of Aki soon after they got to Kaiba Land and was worried that she got lost. He had looked around a bit but couldn't find her anywhere. He finally figured that she went exploring and that maybe his brother might of seen her.  
  
"I don't remember everyone that comes through Kaiba Land, Mokuba. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Just wondering."  
  
*****  
  
Aki sat on a wall that overlooked the sidewalk. She always liked having a lookout spot. It was a game. 'Who would you see today? Inuyasha? Goku? Taichi? Jubei? Well just wait and find out!'  
  
Aki began humming to herself happily. It was a cryptic song she had always sung to herself when she was alone. She couldn't quite remember where exactly she picked it up, but she knew its beats and words inside and out, but the words didn't really make sense, and the way she sang it was in a high-pitched soft voice that seemed disembodied, almost scary.  
  
"It's a fine day. People open windows. They leave their houses. Just for a short while.  
  
It's a fine day. People open windows. They leave their houses. Just for a short while-"  
  
She repeated the phrase six times, first starting softly, almost inaudible, then working its way up, until the eerie song would drift up over the treetops. Then she would sing a chorus of "da da da da oooo la la la" shortly followed by:  
  
"It's going to be a fine night tonight. It's going to be a fine day tomorrow.  
  
It's going to be a fine night tonight. It's going to be a fine day tomorrow-"  
  
Which was repeated four times. The last soft note rose into the still air. Aki sighed contently, letting the breeze caress her blond streaked bangs against her cheeks and forehead.  
  
"Wow. You're a really good singer!"  
  
Aki jumped slightly and looked down. Somehow, Mokuba managed to walk right under her without being noticed.  
  
"What song was that?" he asked innocently.  
  
"I dunno," she answered. "How long have you been there?"  
  
"Long enough," he replied with a grin. "Where'd ja go a few days ago?"  
  
"Somewhere."  
  
Mokuba was silent for a while. "Is that a secret?" he asked.  
  
"Kinda. You hungry?" she jumped from the wall and landed next to Mokuba. "I haven't eaten anything all day. C'mon, I'll buy you something."  
  
"I have an idea!" said Mokuba. "Why don't you come over to my house and we'll get something to eat there."  
  
"Really? OK, sure."  
  
*****  
  
"I think it's time we went shopping."  
  
"No kidding."  
  
Aki and Mokuba searched through the pantries trying to find something that was readily eatable, or looked appetizing. So far they had no luck. All they could find was bags of different types of flour and sugar, cans of baking powder, vegetable soup, canned fruit, baking soda, and other useless odds and ends. Aki picked up a box of instant cake mix and made a face.  
  
"Geez, you'd think that cooks would make this stuff from scratch," mumbled Aki.  
  
"Our last cook quit," stated Mokuba. "I'm beginning to think that I should learn how to at least make cookies."  
  
"Now there's an idea,"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Why don't I make something? It's still morning, I could make pancakes!"  
  
"You know how?"  
  
"You bet! Just watch and learn."  
  
Aki found a large measuring cup and used it as a bowl. She poured in a random amount of white flour, and then poured the same amount of whole- wheat flour into the cup. She then added a heaping tablespoon of baking power and sprinkled a few pinches worth of salt. She mixed the dry ingredients with a spoon. She located an electric hand beater and set it up next to her. She then added the wet ingredients: an egg, some oil, and a large amount of milk. She then used the beater to mix all the ingredients together. When she was done, she turned on a large stove that was built into the counter. She added some butter and then poured the batter into several even portions.  
  
"Do you want chocolate chips in yours?" she asked.  
  
"Chocolate chips? Sure!"  
  
She found a bag of chocolate chips in the pantry and sprinkled some onto the still wet sides of the pancakes. She flipped them and let them cook for a while.  
  
"Is there any syrup?" asked Aki.  
  
"Dunno."  
  
As it turned out, there wasn't. So Aki decided to make her own. She always thought it tasted better anyway. She boiled a pot of water and poured it into a small measuring cup that was filled to the top with sugar. She mixed in some mapleline, and presto: homemade maple syrup.  
  
The chocolate chip pancakes were a hit.  
  
"Wow, this is great! Wait'll my brother sees this!"  
  
"Brother? Oh crap-" Aki had forgotten that she was in the Kaiba Mansion, witch belonged to Seto Kaiba.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Oh, nothing." She lied.  
  
"Mokuba? What are you doing down there?" came a familiar voice from upstairs.  
  
"Hi Seto! This is my friend Aki. She made pancakes. They're really good!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
Aki smiled and waved weakly. "Hi."  
  
"She was the girl I was talking about yesterday, remember?"  
  
Kaiba studied the girl. She seemed like some tomboy off the street with a beanie that covered most of her hair, except for the blond strands that stuck out around her face.  
  
"Aki, huh," he said thoughtfully. "Tell me, are you interested in a job?"  
  
"You mean to replace your last cook?"  
  
"Pretty much. Are you good at cooking things other than pancakes?"  
  
"You kiddin?" Aki pointed a thumb at herself. "I'm the best of the best!"  
  
"When are you available?"  
  
"Any day, everyday. Dawn till dusk."  
  
"Good. You're hired. That is, until you make some more pancakes."  
  
Aki mock saluted Kaiba with a big grin on her face. "Yessir, mister Kaiba, sir!"  
  
Mokuba laughed so hard a chocolate chip almost came out of his nose.  
  
*****  
  
After her first day at work, Aki stopped by the Kame Game Shop. She was greeted by an old kindly man called Sugoroku Motou. She bought some boosters packs of Duel Monster cards and left for home.  
  
*****  
  
The next day didn't seem so bad. No matter what people said to her or what those damn druggies in the back of the classroom threw at her in her English class, she had a smile on her face and hummed her song.  
  
"It's going to be a fine night tonight. It's going to be a fine day tomorrow-"  
  
When she got home from school that day she discovered that the house was empty. Taking advantage of her privacy, she cleared off the floor of her room and brought out her stereo from her closet. She put in her Michelle Branch CD and turned the stereo. She had always liked to dance and had been practicing for years by herself, as well as try to strengthen her singing voice. She practiced some moves from music videos as well as some aerobic moves.  
  
After a music workout, Autumn was too worked up to stop so she went out for a jog around her block. It gave her time to reflect on her day.  
  
Autumn the bootlegger, Aki the Kaiba family cook. Could it get any better?  
  
*****  
  
Me: YAAAAYY!!!! Finally done! Review! 


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